Overview

The Eerdmans Critical Commentary Series offers the best of contemporary Old and New Testament scholarship, seeking to give modern readers clear insight into the biblical text, including its background, its interpretation, and its application. Under the editorial leadership of David Noel Freedman and Astrid B. Beck, the contributors to the ECC series are among the foremost authorities in biblical scholarship worldwide. They represent a broad range of backgrounds and are motivated to remain sensitive to the original meaning of the text and to bring alive its relevance for today. Each volume includes the author’s own translation, critical notes, and commentary on literary, historical, cultural, and theological aspects of the text.

This series was designed to be accessible to serious general readers and scholars alike. These commentaries reflect the contributions of recent textual, philological, literary, historical, and archaeological inquiry, benefiting as well from newer methodological approaches. The ECC volumes are considered “critical” in that they concentrate on a detailed, systematic explanation of the biblical text. Although exposition is based on the original and cognate languages, English translations provide complete access to the discussion and interpretation of these primary sources.

In the Logos editions, these valuable volumes are enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Powerful searches help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Exodus

In this new commentary on Exodus in the Eerdmans Critical Commentary, scholar Thomas B. Dozeman examines the book of Exodus under the rubric of the myriad literary genres that occur in the book. Dozeman accepts the conclusions of the “literary” of “higher criticism” movement and thus believes the book was composed over time throughout Israel’s history. Yet, this does not remove theological significance of the book of Exodus. On the contrary, Dozeman demonstrates great aptitude in handling the book theologically, and with exceptional insight is quite skilled at relating the book to its neighboring books and the entire OT canon. This commentary is excellent for the academic setting. Whether you are looking for a commentary that treats Exodus from literary perspective, or if you want a commentary to balance the view of traditional perspectives, this book is an excellent resource.

This commentary is an important contribution to the study of Exodus and a very useful tool.

Thomas B. Dozeman is professor of Hebrew Bible at United Theological Seminary, Trotwood, Ohio. His previous works include God at War: Power in the Exodus Tradition.

The Psalms: Strophic Structure and Theological Commentary

Author: Samuel Terrien

Series: Eerdmans Critical Commentary

Publisher: Eerdmans

Publication Date: 2003

Pages: 967

In his most ambitious undertaking, the late Samuel Terrien brings together a lifetime of scholarship on the Psalms. The commentary’s clear and insightful introduction considers these important subjects on the Psalms: their longevity and ecumenicity; their Near Eastern background; the Hebrew text and ancient versions; their music; their strophic structure; their literary genre; their theology; and their relation to the New Testament. Terrien elucidates the theological significance of these collected poems by putting readers in touch with the formal versatility and religious passion of the psalmists themselves. While he consistently engages in scientific exegesis before drawing theological conclusions, Terrien is careful to allow full expression to the theological and, especially, the doxological voice of these unmatched spiritual songs. The result is a commentary that provides a link between the archaic language of Psalms and the intellectual demands of modern thinking and spirituality.

Throughout his exposition Terrien shows great respect for the scribal testimony of the Jewish tradition, especially the consonants of the Masoretic text. He similarly displays great care in finding the most accurate meaning for Hebrew words of obscure origin, thus creating a meticulously reliable translation of Psalms. He also draws on many fruitful gains of structural analysis in discerning the strophic divisions within the Hebrew text. Often he finds unity of composition where earlier critics denied it. And for readers interested in specific aspects of translation and interpretation, Terrien has appended bibliographical lists of modern works on each psalm.

Samuel Terrien has willed us a legacy that is well worth studying for years to come. The crown of that legacy is his magnum opus on the Psalter. . . . Rich in treasures for scholars and students alike, this commentary reflects a mind gifted with sharp intellect and a heart attuned to the cadences of the human and the divine.

I have always stood in awe of Samuel Terrien’s erudition and theological insight. As in all of his work, he is able in this volume to marry the sensitivities of a believer to the rigors of scholarly analysis in ways that are rich, insightful, and provocative. . . . This commentary is a tour de force in contemporary Psalms scholarship and a fitting monument to one of the outstanding biblical scholars of the twentieth century.

Samuel Terrien (1911–2002) was Davenport Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Cognate Languages at Union Theological Seminary in New York. His many other books include The Iconography of Job through the Centuries: Artists as Biblical Interpreters, and The Elusive Presence: Toward a New Biblical Theology.

Isaiah 40–66: A Commentary

This Eerdmans Critical Commentary volume is Shalom Paul’s comprehensive, all-inclusive study of the oracles of an anonymous prophet known only as Second Isaiah who prophesied in the second half of the sixth century BC Paul examines Isaiah 40–66 through a close reading of the biblical text, offering thorough exegesis of the historical, linguistic, literary, and theological aspects of the prophet’s writings. He also looks carefully at intertextual influences of earlier biblical and extrabiblical books, draws on the contributions of medieval Jewish commentators, and supports the contention that Second Isaiah should include chapters 55–66, thus eliminating the need to demarcate a Third Isaiah.

Shalom M. Paul is Yehezkel Kaufman Professor Emeritus of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and chair of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation. His many books include Studies in the Book of the Covenant in the Light of Cuneiform and Biblical Law and Divrei Shalom: Collected Studies of Shalom M. Paul on the Bible and the Ancient Near East, 1967–2005.

The Gospel and Letters of John, vol. 1: Introduction, Analysis, and Reference

Nearly all of the problems confronted by those who study John have to do with the literary strata of the Gospel of John and their relation to the composition of the letters of John. With an archaeologist’s precision, and engaging a whole range of scholarly contributions in this area, von Wahlde digs down to the foundations and exposes three distinct literary strata in the development of the Johannine tradition. Volume one gives detailed evidence identifying and listing the criteria for each stratum.

Urban C. von Wahlde is professor of theology at Loyola University in Chicago and the editor of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly. His many previous publications on John’s Gospel and letters include The Johannine Commandments and The Earliest Version of John’s Gospel.

The Gospel and Letters of John, vol. 2: The Gospel of John

Including the first-ever history of the development of Johannine theology, this commentary is a major breakthrough in the study of John’s Gospel and his three letters. Volume two applies those criteria to the Gospel of John,

Urban C. von Wahlde is professor of theology at Loyola University in Chicago and the editor of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly. His many previous publications on John’s gospel and letters include The Johannine Commandments and The Earliest Version of John’s Gospel.

The First and Second Letters to Timothy, vols. 1 and 2

Authors: Jerome D. Quinn and William C. Wacker

Series: Eerdmans Critical Commentary

Publisher: Eerdmans

Publication Date: 2000

Pages: 932

This commentary on Timothy was the culminating work of Jerome Quinn who died before he was able to finish it. William Wacker aptly took up the reins and completed this monumental task. Quinn provides a fresh, readable translation of the two letters to Timothy, along with notes and a verse-by-verse commentary. The authors show that, in addressing such contemporary topics as church leadership, the roles of women, the use of wealth, heterodoxy, worship, and ethics, these Pauline letters remain highly relevant to church life today.

A rich, readable, and rewarding commentary. The introduction is a model of clarity; the commentary proper is filled with theological and exegetical insight. This commentary is certainly the magnum opus Jerome Quinn intended it to be, and it is destined to become the standard English-language reference work on these letters.

—Jouette M. Bassler, professor of New Testament, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

With the appearance of his Anchor Bible commentary on Titus, Jerome Quinn established a unique foothold in the perilous terrain of Pastoral Epistle scholarship. The appearance of this volume, with the immense assistance of William Wacker, completes his project. It is a major contribution to our understanding of the language of these letters and a mine of philological information. Likewise, its distinctive reconstruction of the historical, social, and literary context of 1 and 2 Timothy will be a healthy stimulant to ongoing discussions about their theology and relation to Paul. An important scholarly work.

Jerome D. Quinn (d. 1988) was professor of Old and New Testament and the Hebrew language at Saint Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is a past president of the Catholic Biblical Association, an editor of The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, and a visiting professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute. He also wrote volume on Titus in the in the Anchor Yale Bible Commentary.

William C. Wacker was Quinn’s last student, and he spent five years preparing the manuscript of this commentary for publication. He is headmaster at Trinity School at River Ridge in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The Letter to Philemon

Sometimes regarded as trivial because of its brevity, the letter to Philemon remains valuable both for its insight into the social setting of the New Testament and for its reiteration of a central component of the gospel—brotherly love. Barth and Blanke’s commentary is unique for its exhaustive study of the ancient world at the time Philemon was written. They examine the institution of slavery in Paul’s day, drawing on secular sources from Greece and Rome and from Christian writers of the time. The references to slavery found in Ephesians, Colossians, and 1 Timothy are also compared and contrasted with Paul’s words in Philemon.

The verse-by-verse commentary focuses on important themes in Pauline theology, including love, faith and faithfulness, church unity, providence, free will, and human responsibility. Barth makes his exposition even more useful by surveying the history of the interpretation of Philemon, from the patristic age to modern liberation theologians. The product of Barth’s lifelong research, which was completed by Helmut Blanke after Barth’s death, will surely become the standard work on Philemon.

Markus Barth provides us with an exceptional treasure trove of relevant ancient and modern material to enrich our understanding of ancient slavery and the interpretation of Philemon. A remarkable repository of learning, this volume brings Paul’s world and thought to life as a seasoned guide takes readers on a fascinating tour of every nook and cranny of the apostle’s most personal letter. This book will hardly be surpassed.

Markus Barth (1915–1994) was professor of New Testament studies at the University of Basel in Switzerland. The son of the great theologian Karl Barth, he is also the author of The People of God, Rediscovering the Lord’s Supper, and (with Helmut Blanke) the volume on Colossians in the Anchor Yale Bible Commentary.

Helmut Blanke earned a ThD from the University of Basel in Switzerland and was a student of Markus Barth’s and serves as a pastor in Germany. He is coauthor (with Markus Barth) of the volume on Colossians in the Anchor Yale Bible Commentary.

The Gospel and Letters of John, vol. 3: The Three Johannine Letters

Many of the most serious problems involved with interpreting John are due to the complex history of the Gospel’s composition. Engaging the entire range of these problems, von Wahlde exposes each of the distinct stages—and literary strata—in the Johannine tradition and shows how each represents a theological development beyond earlier stages. The result is not only the first “genetic” commentary but also the first-ever history of the development of the Johannine tradition—utterly groundbreaking biblical scholarship.

Urban C. von Wahlde is professor of theology at Loyola University in Chicago and the editor of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly. His many previous publications on John’s gospel and letters include The Johannine Commandments and The Earliest Version of John’s Gospel.